The country’s electricity demand dipped for the fourth consecutive month in November, over the same month of the previous year. According to officials, the fall should be seen in the light of extended monsoons and early winter.

Officials said intermittent rains have driven down the agricultural demand for electricity because of higher moisture in soil and a corresponding lower need of water for irrigation. The extended monsoons have also lead to more water in reservoirs.

According to data shared by the Central Electricity Authority, in November 2019, the country’s electricity demand fell to 94.6 billion units (BU), down from 98.84 BU in November 2018.

Analysts said climate change has a role in inducing such variations in weather and rain patterns.

“There is enough evidence to show that extreme weather events and changing weather patterns are becoming more and more frequent due to the impact of climate change. But there are multiple economic factors also contributing to the slowdown in power demand which the government cannot ignore,” Mandvi Singh, an expert at the Centre for Science and Environment, said.

The fall in demand corresponds with a dip in generation. Responding to a query in the Rajya Sabha on the lower electricity generation, Minister of State (Independent Charge), RK Singh said, “There was reduction (in electricity generation) of around 2.9 per cent and 12.88 per cent during September and October respectively with respect to the same months last year.”

“The lower generation was mainly due to favourable weather condition due to prolonged rainy season and good rainfall which led to reduction in demand in Agriculture sector and reduction in cooling requirement in domestic and commercial sectors,” Singh said.

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